Summer of Surprises
by freakymathgirl
Summary: The gang heads off to summer camp for two weeks. Who will get together? Who will break up? What adventures are in store for the group of friends? Read to find out! R&R!
1. Welcome to Camp Goose Lake

**Welcome to Camp Goose Lake!**

I gave my mom a hug goodbye. I know I'm going into Grade 11, but hey, I guess I'm a bit of a baby sometimes. I'd never been away from my mom for as long as two weeks before. But that day I was going to break the record. I was going away to Camp Goose Lake, a Christian summer camp for teens. I was so excited. My friends Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay were coming along too.

My mom sniffed a little. Oh, boy. You see, as much as I'd like to say that it was entirely my decision to never be away from my mom for as long as two weeks before, that would be a lie. My mom hates it when I'm away. She is such a worrywart. Honestly, she cries when I go for a sleepover at my friend's houses. She's scared I'll do drugs, or smoke, or drink, or have sex. Despite my reassuring her that I'll never do any of that stuff, she still worries.

My mom leaned in to give me one last hug. She was starting to bawl, getting my brand new white shirt all wet. Uh oh. Over her shoulder, I saw Sharpay, Kelsi and Taylor approaching. I try to pull away from my mom so I could go over and say hi to them, but she wouldn't budge.

"Hi there Gabriella!" Sharpay exclaimed, "Aren't you just soooo excited for camp? Like, I heard that the cabins have heated floors!"

I struggled to get away from my mom but it was impossible. So I sort of stopped trying and talked to my friends over my mom's shoulder. Taylor snickered a little.

"I am pretty excited! I wonder if there'll be any hot gu- I mean hot weather," I said as I felt my mom tense up. "I hope there is so we can…er…swim." Kelsi giggled a little.

"Help me!" I mouthed to them.

"Gabi, you know the bus leaves in five minutes. You really should load your bags." Commented Taylor.

"Right!" I exclaimed, relieved. My mom slowly released me.

"Bye mom! I gotta go now! See you in two weeks!"

And with that, I ran off before she could get any more upset.

"I see you mom is just as clingy as ever, Gabs."

"Yah, I'm surprised she let you come!"

"I know," I replied as we loaded my stuff. Come on, let's get on the bus!"

We walked onto the bus and got seats. Taylor and I shared one and Kelsi and Sharpay shared another. We were so excited we could hardly stand it.

"Only two point six minutes till we leave!" Taylor squealed excitedly. I laughed. Then I heard Sharpay gasp.

I looked at Sharpay. She was staring at the front of the bus. I did a double take. Because boarding onto the bus, I saw Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Ryan.

"TROY!" I screeched, jumping up and running towards him. I hit him with such force he almost fell over. I squeezed him into a bear hug.

"I haven't seen you for a month!" He exclaimed. He smiled at me, his face a little red. I looked around and realized that the whole bus was staring at us. I immediately let go.

"Well, we should maybe talk more when we get there. I think it's time to go now."

I went and sat down in my seat. Troy and Chad went and sat behind Taylor and I.

Taylor leaned towards me and whispered in my ear.

"So, you and Troy are just friends, huh? Are you sure you don't like him even a little?"

"NO!" I yelled. People turned towards me.

"I mean, no," I whispered.

"Well, that hug was more than just a little friendly," she commented.

"Maybe I like him just a little," I said, almost too quietly for her to hear. She smiled shyly, and gave me an "I knew it" sort of look. I made her vow not to tell a soul. But the look on her face made me a little uneasy.

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When we got to the camp, we went inside to register. I handed in my medical forms, and they gave me my nametag and a cabin. I was in Chickadee, and so were Taylor, Sharpay and Kelsi.

The counselor who showed us to our cabin was extremely hot. His nametag said "Dallas."

'What a sexy name," I thought to myself.

I could tell Taylor appreciated Dallas's handsome features as well, by the way she began drooling the moment she saw him. Across the room, I could see Chad looking angrily back and forth between Taylor and Dallas. I smirked a little to myself. Everyone knew Chad and Taylor liked each other. But Chad was gong to have to work hard to change Taylor's focus from Dallas to himself.

………………………………………………………………………………...

I was quite pleased to see that our cabin was right next to a boys cabin. Troy's cabin, to be more specific. Very convenient if you know what I meant. Just kidding! I was not planning on doing any of that in the near future.

I chose the top bunk. Us four were the first people to arrive in our cabins. I was just unpacking my stuff when a new girl walked in. She was tall, with brown hair and green eyes.

"Hi!" I greeted her. "I'm Gabriella. What's your name?" She smiled.

"I'm Tonya. You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

I was puzzled.

"No, I don't think so," I responded hesitantly.

"Maybe I just saw you at the mall once or something," she mused.

"That's probably it," I agreed.

Then another group of girls burst into the cabin. One girl was really short with strait red hair and tons of freckles. She introduced herself as Audrey. She seemed pretty nice, although a little shy.

One of the other girls had blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfectly tanned skin. She was really pretty, but she seemd like a bit of a snob. Her name was Rochelle.

The last girl's name was Mandy. She was tallish with brown braids and brown eyes. She seemed pretty plain but she was really friendly.

Our counselor walked in right after we finished our introductions. Her name was Tessa. She had light brown hair and glasses, and she seemed really nice. I was excited to have such a seemingly pleasant cabin group.

After we were all unpacked, we headed to the rec field to play some recreational games. All the other cabins were already there. I was excited to see several attractive boys, but none of them were hotter than Troy. Hopefully the two of us would get together sometime during our time at Camp Goose Lake.

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**Well, I just got this random idea for a story, so I decided to write it. I don't have tons of plans for the story so please feel free to send me ideas. Most of he experiences that happen are based on what has happened to me at camp, or what I wish happened to me! Lol! Now everyone please please please review. My goal is ten reviews each chapter. I hope you enjoy the story!**


	2. A Midnight Meeting

**A Midnight Meeting**

After rec, we headed to the lodge for snack. Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay and I linked arms and skipped the whole way there, laughing all the way. The boys were giving us weird looks, but we didn't care. We were super hyper from running around for an hour and we were excited because tradition is that we get cinnamon buns for snack on the first night.

The smell as we entered the lodge was mouthwatering. It smelled so cinnamony and sweet yet doughy, like if someone had baked bread.

Taylor, Sharpay, Taylor and I sat down at a table. As soon as we sat down, Troy, Chad, and Ryan came and sat with us. Zeke was busy in the kitchen, because he had volunteered to be a part time cook as well as a camper.

After a couple of extremely suspenseful moments, we finally got to go to the front and get our snack. At Camp Goose Lake, meals are served buffet-style. We each selected a bun and returned to our seats to savour them. Mmmm.

Then I was interrupted from my pleasure by Taylor screeching.

"Chad," she exclaimed as she bopped him over the head, "What did you do that for?"

"What do you mean?" Chad whined.

"You drank my juice!" She shrieked.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Then he got up. A couple minutes later he returned with a glass of juice. He handed it to her. Taylor smiled, obviously pleased. I smiled at Chad's flirting attempts. It would take a little more than just that to win her over.

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I sighed and rolled over, the metal bunk creaking noisily. Across the cabin, glowing red numbers told me that it was 2:00. But I just couldn't fall asleep, no matter how hard I tried. Could've been from the heat. Could've been from the sugar high I was on because of the cinnamon buns. But I was pretty sure it was because of Troy. I was thinking about him all the time. He was in my thoughts all day and all night. I was pretty much obsessed with him. I wanted him to ask me out so badly, but he just thought of me as friends. I sighed again, and then decided to go for a walk to clear my mind.

I knew we weren't supposed to leave our cabins at night, but I'd only be gone for a moment or two. I grabbed my water bottle and silently crept towards the door. I turned the handle slowly then pushed. It made I loud noise. I froze.

Luckily no one stirred, so I crept out the door. I walked down the path towards the lodge, and then I kept going down towards the lake. It was a gorgeous night. I could hear the waves lapping at the shore, and the last gibbous moon shone bright and clear. I was walking past the rec field when I heard voices from near the archery range. I headed on over and was a little surprised to see that all the gang was already there.

"Hey Gabs!" Troy exclaimed.

"Took you long enough," muttered Sharpay.

"But… I didn't even know about this!" I exclaimed. "I just went for a walk! Why did you plan this and not invite me?"

Kelsi shot Taylor a dirty look. Taylor looked down guiltily. I glared at her.

"What?" he protested. "You looked so peaceful sleeping there!"

'Ya right,' I thought to myself.

We al sort of sat there in an awkward silence.

"So," Ryan said, "What exactly are we going to do?"

I had a great idea.

"Let's play truth dare double dare promise to repeat fire in a barn colors! I exclaimed.

"Gabi, that is sooooooo second grade," Sharpay commented. I shrugged. "There's nothing else to do." I commented. Everyone was forced to agree with me.

"We can spin my water bottle to choose who we are doing. And no, not that kind of doing," I added as Chad giggled. "I'll go first."

The bottle spun round and round, finally landing on Ryan, who chose fire in a barn.

"Ok Ryan, there is a fire in a barn and you can save one person, throw one person out the window, shoot one person so they die quickly and let one person burn to death. The people are Kelsi, Sharpay, Martha, and Emma."

"That's easy," Ryan scoffed. "I'd throw Kelsi out, rescue Sharpay, shoot Martha and let Emma burn. She is so annoying."

He spun it, and it landed on Taylor. She chose truth.

"What is your most embarrassing moment?" Ryan asked. Taylor turned beet red.

"Well, um, this one time I got to gym early and I went to the change room to change. I was in my bra and underwear and then the janitor walked in."

Everyone squealed, except for Chad who was looking pretty pissed.

"What did he do?" Kelsi wanted to know.

"He apologized and left." She answered. "Now I'll spin it."

She did and it landed on Troy. He chose dare. Grinning evilly, she thought for a minute. I felt a bit scared. Then she said it.

"Troy, I dare you to kiss Gabi."

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**Last time I didn't do a cliffy so I thought I'd do one today! I'm so evil! And to all my loyal readers, I just want to let you know that updates will likely be about once a week now because the homework load is pretty heavy. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-freakymathgirl**


	3. Campout Part 1

**Campout Part One**

I was looking at Troy as she said it. I could've sworn that I saw a look of utter joy sweep across his face, but it disappeared instantly. He looked very nonchalant. Had I imagined it? I frowned a little.

Troy saw me frowning and looked a little disappointed. Bt he moved towards me.

"Taylor, on the cheek or on the lips?" He questioned.

"Lips, of course!" She exclaimed. I sighed. This was my dream come true. Troy was going to kiss me! He nervously licked his lips and moved closer until we were inches apart. He stopped, gazing into my eyes. Then he closed the gap quickly, and our lips met.

It was what every girl dreams her first kiss will be like. Soft and sweet, yet so powerful that my entire body turned to mush. I was so happy. He kissed me hesitantly at first, and then I found myself returning the kiss.

But I stopped immediately and pulled away. Troy was not in love with me. He only liked me as a friend. I never should have kissed him back. It was obvious by the look in his eyes that he had felt me kissing back, for that brief amount of time, but I couldn't tell how he felt about it. Wordlessly, he walked back to where he had been sitting.

"Um…I'm getting tired," I blurted out, "I think I'll go back to my cabin now." Taylor said she was tired too and came to walk with e.

"Taylor!" I hissed. "Why did you make him kiss me?"  
"I thought you liked him. Isn't that normally something you would enjoy doing to someone you like?"  
"Yes, but I kissed him back a little and I know he felt it. What if he doesn't like me? He'll know that I like him and things will be soooo awkward. Our friendship will be ruined."

"Gabi, you shouldn't be afraid to share your feelings."

"Oh yeah? Then why won't you share your feelings with Chad?"

She turned pale.

"That's different!"

"How?"

"Well, um, you see…"

"Exactly, Taylor. Don't bother me about Troy or I'll bother you about Chad. Ok?" She mumbled some kind of response that sounded a little bit like "go to hell."

I frowned a little. By then we had reached our cabin. I climbed into my bed and fell asleep immediately.

The next day went by in a blur. We had so much stuff planned for us to do! We canoed and kayaked and did archery and crafts and swimming. We went for a nature hike and learned how to build a fire. I didn't really see much of Troy, considering that we did all our activities with our cabin groups. Before I knew it, the day was over. I fell into my bed exhausted, and slept like a log all night.

The next morning I woke up feeling eager and excited. It was the day of the camping trip! We got to bundle up our sleeping bags and walk out to a campground. There we would swim, play games, and sleep. I wanted to sleep under the starts and so did my friends.

After breakfast we set off. We knew it would be a really long walk, but we were prepared. We decided to play a game of Would You Rather.

"Ok. Would you rather get caught making out in the bushes behind the field by Mr. Wiebe and Mr. Brown, or would you rather get caught making out in your basement by your younger sibling?" I asked.

The girls squealed.

"Hmm," Taylor thought out loud. "Would your parents find out?"

"Yes!" I responded. "In both situation your parents find out."

Everyone looked thoughtful.

"I would pick Ryan finding me, because I'd rather him see it than the teachers. Plus, Mr. Brown would probably give me a huge sex talk, considering he's the sex ed teacher." Everyone groaned in agreement with Sharpay's response.

We walked and walked and talked and talked. Before we knew, we were there.

We were extremely hot so we decided to go swimming in the lake. We were the first ones there and the van carrying our stuff hadn't come yet. We quickly and quietly snuck down the path to the lake, just us girls. Since we didn't have our swimsuits, we would have to swim in our underwear.

I quickly peeled off my shirt and shorts to reveal my matching baby blue bra and panties. I quickly ran into the lake so as few people as possible would see me.

Taylor, Sharpay and Kelsi quickly ran in too, splashing and giggling. The cool, clear water felt so good against my hot skin. I was pretty sure I had burned a little and the water soothed the warmth.

We chased each other around and played Marco Polo. Suddenly I saw something on the shore. It was the guys. I could tell they saw us in the water.

"Uh oh!" I exclaimed to my friends. "Look over there!"

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! Please keep it up! And remember that I am always open to suggestions. Thanks for reading! **

**-freakymathgirl**

**ps: To Ami (if you're reading this. I know you were actually reading A Secret to be Told but w/e) Thanks for that comment and I'll try to incorporate it into the story. I'm glad you like the story. I'm sorry but I don't reply to reviews that are not from Fanfic because I would have to use my own email account to reply and I don't give out my email to people I don't know. That's just my policy. Sorry! But don't worry the story will have a happy ending and I'll try to update it this weekend.**


	4. Campout Part 2

**Campout Part Two**

_Previously…_

_We chased each other around and played Marco Polo. Suddenly I saw something on the shore. It was the guys. I could tell they saw us in the water._

"_Uh oh!" I exclaimed to my friends. "Look over there!"_

Sharpay whipped her head around, saw the boys, and started screaming. Naturally, the rest of us immediately followed suit. Then I realized that screaming was just going to attract more attention, so I made everyone shut up. We were huddled in a circle, with just our heads out of the water, discussing our next move when I saw the boys moving down the shoreline, headed towards our clothes.

I inwardly groaned. I knew them well enough to be able to predict their next move.

"Don't even think about it, Troy!" I yelled, loud enough for the boys to hear.

He grinned evilly.

"Why not?" He hollered.

"Because…because…because…I said so!" I retorted triumphantly.

"Nice try!" He exclaimed. With that, he walked over to our clothes and picked them up. With his posse following him, he walked off. A couple minutes later, they returned, and sat down on the beach, watching us, waiting for our next move.

I rolled my eyes. It was so obvious that they just wanted to see us in our underwear. Or flustered and embarrassed. But most likely both. I decided not to give them the pleasure of both. We had no choice.

"Girls, we're going out!" I exclaimed. I had nothing to be ashamed of. My underwear was actually quite attractive. I felt a little sorry for Kelsi, whose underwear had "Tuesday" printed on the seat, but hey, you win some, you lose some.

As we emerged from the water, the boys' eyes widened. Troy literally stared at me, gulping.

"Where did you hide our clothes?" I demanded.

"Behind that tree," Troy said quickly, pointing, not wanting to waste energy talking when he could've been using it to stare at me.

We all ran to the tree and quickly dressed, standing behind it. By then it was starting to get a little dark, so after one final glareful glance in Troy's direction, we headed to our campsite for supper.

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For supper we were making camper stew, a mixture of noodles, ground beef, Campbell's soup, carrots, celery, and the occasional mosquito. It was getting late, so I was starving. After hastily making the stew and eating it, it was time for our evening fireside session.

We started the session with dessert. Someone pulled out a bag of marshmallows and passed them around. I sighed. Roasting marshmallows was not my forte. I usually ended up setting the marshmallow, the stick, my hair, the tent, or all of the above on fire.

Troy glanced in my direction and I could tell he immediately knew what I was thinking. Once, there had been a party at Chad' house. We had been roasting marshmallows, and having a grand old time, until I managed to ruin things by accidentally setting Chad's little Yorkshire Terrier, Sophie, on fire. Chad never did forgive me for it…I saw him look warily at me as I tentatively picked up a roasting stick. Troy started making his way through the crowd towards me, trying to get my attention.

"Hey, Gabi. Gabi! Gabi!!! I'll roast your for you!! PLEASE!!! I mean…if you want me too…" I grinned gratefully at him.

"Aw, thanks!" I said, flashing him my killer smile. He smiled back.

"Trust me, it's my pleasure!" He responded weakly.

After enjoying smores and campfire songs, we were allowed to disperse, and just hang out. It was getting to be later, around 11:00, and some people wanted to go to bed, but not I!! Taylor and I decided to walk down to the beach to look at the moon and find our favourite constellations.

We sat down on the sand and just enjoyed the view. The stars were crystal clear and we could see some gorgeous Northern Lights. We had been sitting and talking for at least half an hour when Troy came up behind us.

Upon hearing his footsteps, I turned around to face him. He looked really nervous.

"Uh…Gabriella, could I talk to you for a minute?" He asked, wringing his hands nervously.

I smiled.

"Sure!" I said sweetly. Taylor gave me a knowing look, and then Troy and I started to walk away.

He kept fidgeting. Finally we reached a spot that seemed suitable for this important discussion we were about to have. It was a little clearing with a couple stumps in it, on the path to the bathrooms, but a little bit off the path so it was pretty private. We each sat down on stumps, about two feet apart, facing each other. We sat in silence for a moment or two, then Troy spoke.

"Gabi…I think we need to talk about what's going on between us. You've been avoiding me." He explained.

"No I haven't been avoiding you! It's just…things are really busy right now and…" I trailed off, realizing I had no excuse.

"I guess…you're right," I said lamely.

"Soooooooo……." He said.

"Wellllllll……." I replied.

"Gabriella, what are we? Are we friends? More? Enemies? I felt you kissing me back the other night, and I want you to know that I didn't just kiss you because I was forced. I really wanted to. I like you, Gabs. More than you could ever imagine," he finished softly.

A tear came to the corner of my eyes. I was about to answer when someone shone a bright light in my eyes.

"Hey! What are you youngsters doing," a voice exclaimed. "Are you having sex? You better not be!! Sex is bad. If you have sex, you'll get syphilis. And breast cancer. Come to think of it, that also will happen if you play tackle football. I don't approve of tackle football. It always leads to sex. Bad bad bad. And you'll also probably get gonorrhoea. And you'll get pregnant. And, you'll probably die."

Troy and I both felt very confused. At least, until we looked at who the person was.

"Brett!" I exclaimed. "You're on mischief patrol, aren't you!"

"Why yes. You two seem to be up to mischief if you ask me."

Troy and I looked at each other, rolling our eyes.

"Brett, we were just talking, I swear," said Troy.

Brett rolled his eyes, then walked away, muttering to himself.

"Keep it PG!" He shouted as he left. I sighed gratefully. Finally. Maybe now we start up where we left off.

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**I hoped you all liked it! Sorry for not updating. I'll probably be just updating every two weeks now because I'm super busy with school and homework and cross country and swimming and volunteering and all kinds of stuff. Remember, review!! They keep me going! Please please review!!!**


	5. Floam

**Floam**

_Last Chapter:_

"_Gabriella, what are we? Are we friends? More? Enemies? I felt you kissing me back the other night, and I want you to know that I didn't just kiss you because I was forced. I really wanted to. I like you, Gabs. More than you could ever imagine," he finished softly._

_A tear came to the corner of my eyes. I was about to answer when someone shone a bright light in my eyes._

"_Hey! What are you youngsters doing," a voice exclaimed. "Are you having sex? You better not be!! Sex is bad. If you have sex, you'll get syphilis. And breast cancer. Come to think of it, that also will happen if you play tackle football. I don't approve of tackle football. It always leads to sex. Bad bad bad. And you'll also probably get gonorrhea. And you'll get pregnant. And, you'll probably die."_

_Troy and I both felt very confused. At least, until we looked at who the person was._

"_Brett!" I exclaimed. "You're on mischief patrol, aren't you!"_

"_Why yes. You two seem to be up to mischief if you ask me."_

_Troy and I looked at each other, rolling our eyes._

"_Brett, we were just talking, I swear," said Troy._

_Brett rolled his eyes, then walked away, muttering to himself._

"_Keep it PG!" He shouted as he left. I sighed gratefully. Finally. Maybe now we start up where we left off._

I shifted my attention back to Troy. As I turned to face him, I caught him staring intently at me. I blushed a deep shade of red. Troy noticed my blushed and patted my arm.

"Gabriella, I don't want you to ever feel embarrassed around me. I want you to feel comfortable, at ease."

"Thanks Troy. It's just…I've never…" My voice cracked a little, and I trailed off.

"You've never what?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I never thought I'd ever have a boy like me in _that way_. Love has always seemed like a fairy tale, or a fantasy story. It's never been attainable."

"Gabi, have you never had a boy like you before? In _that way_?"

I twiddled my thumbs a little, embarrassed. Troy was going to realize how inexperienced I was. He was going to think I was too naïve and innocent. He was going to find out that our kiss earlier had been my first one.

"No Troy. I haven't," I admitted, a tear welling up in the corner of my eye. I looked down at the ground afraid to make eye contact with him. I was sure that his strange desire for me was going to dissolve, now that he knew I wasn't exactly the most sought-after girl in the world.

Troy moved a little closer to me, and put his arm around my back.

"Gabi," he asked gently, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

I turned to face him, surprised.

"Don't you not like me anymore now, since you know how much experience I have with guys? Wouldn't you rather like a more sought-after girl?" I started crying harder.

"Why me, Troy, why me?" I sobbed.

Troy pulled me into an embrace, rubbing my back. The gentle circles he traced somehow soothed me. After I let out my last shuddering sob, he spoke.

"Gabriella, I don't care that you have 'no experience' with guys. That just makes it more special for me. When we hug, or kiss, or hold hands, or whatever, I will always know that I'm the only guy who has ever done those things with you, the only guy who has ever held that special place in your heart. That is, if you feel the same way about me as I feel about you." He looked at me expectantly.

"Of course I do!!! But I just don't understand how you can like me. Why? I'm not special. I'm just your boring, average freaky math girl."

Troy sighed.

"Gabi, do you really think you're just average? You are above average. You're as beautiful as the stars tonight. You're so smart, and your singing is amazing. Honestly, the first time I heard you sing, my legs turn to Jell-O. The effect you have on me is enormous. I'm having trouble believing that I'm sitting here with my arms around you. It seems so surreal, like a dream come true. You have an amazing personality. You are so kind and gentle, even to people who don't deserve it. Like Sharpay. Your patience with her is amazing. And I just feel like I've known you forever. There is no other girl in the world I'd rather be right here with than you."

I smiled up at him, more tears forming in my eyes. I started crying even more. I just couldn't believe it. This was a dream come true. For the first time in my life, a boy loved me. And I loved him. Wow.

I looked up at the stars. They were so gorgeous. I saw a shooting star, arching through the sky. I knew it was a meteorite, a piece of rock that was burning up due to friction as it blasted through the earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds. I smile. I truly was a nerd, thinking about such scholarly things on summer vacation.

Troy and I sat for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. We watched the stars and the Northern Lights, also called _Aurora Borealis_. I explained to Troy how _Aurora Borealis_ is created when solar wind hits the earth's magnetic field, and the particles cause friction with it, resulting in the bright and beautiful colors we see in the night sky. He just laughed, and took my hand. After a few more minutes of talking, we decided it would be best to return to the campsite.

"After all," I pointed out, "We don't want Brett to come…uh…disturb us again." I giggled. Troy let out a little bit of a giggle too. Then he turned red.

"Don't you ever tell Chad I giggled, ok Gabs/" He demanded anxiously. "One time I accidentally giggled when we were watching TV at his house. He teased me for months before I finally managed to convince him that it had been a hiccup. I'd rather not have that happen again."

I laughed a little.

"Don't you dare tell Gabi!" He exclaimed. I giggled some more. "Whatcha gonna do if I tell him?" I teased. Troy grabbed me and started tickling. I was laughing like crazy.

"Don't tell!" He warned. I laughed even harder.

"I won't!" I exclaimed. He kept tickling.

"Promise!" He demanded.

"I promise!" I said breathlessly. He let go.

"Come on, let's go back. But you better not tell! I'm warning you!"

I smiled at Troy. "Don't worry," I assured him, "Your secret is safe with me." He took my hand, and we made our way back to camp.

When we emerged from the path, we were smack dab in the middle of the campsite. I saw Taylor and Chad a few feet away, at a picnic table. They were moulding shapes out of something glow-in-the-dark.

We approached them. As Chad saw us approaching, he jumped up and hid whatever he'd been making behind his back.

"Troy! Nice to see you! It's been awhile!" Chad started winking furiously. "Did you get the goods?" He asked, obviously attempting to whisper, but not quite succeeding. Troy glared at Chad, then his look of anger turned to one of curiosity.

"So Chad, what's that behind your back?" He asked.

"Oh, that? Nothing. What are you talking about, you crazy boy?" Troy reached behind Chad's back and snatched the object away. It was an extremely ugly and extremely bright yellow duck, made of a weird looking material.

"Chad, is this made of…Floam?" Troy asked, barely managing to contain his laughter.

"Uh…maybe…you see, we were really, bored, and-" Troy cut Chad off.

"Where did you get this? Chad, my 6-year-old sister uses this to decorate her dollhouse. Are you trying to get in touch with your artistic, feminine side, or what?" Troy started laughing.

"No – wait, I can explain…see, I get bored easily, so I usually pack some Floam in my backpack to keep me entertained." Troy started guffawing. Even I couldn't contain my laughter. But then Taylor changed the subject.

"So, Gabriella, where were you? Why were you and Troy gone for so long?" I gulped. We had a lot of explaining to do.

**A/N: So what did you think? Sorry I took so long to update. I've been pretty busy. Anyways, please review!!! I love reviews. They rock. They inspire me. Also, I would love some suggestions. I'm not exactly sure where this story is headed right now. Thanks!**

**-freakymathgirl**


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